1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a radio telephone apparatus for accommodating a mobile terminal capable of moving between a plurality of radio zones, and more particularly, to a mode controlling system for a connecting device to be used by switching its mode.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the recent advances in the field of line switching exchanges, cordless terminals, i.e. mobile terminals, become more prevalent. Their applications to such new markets as hotels, hospitals, airports and amusement parks can be considered, in addition to such existing markets, such as offices.
For efficiency improvements in establishing communications channels and simplification in managing mobile terminals, a mobile radio telephone apparatus is known in which an area to be controlled is divided into a plurality of zones, and the presence of a mobile terminal is detected and managed and a call reception information is notified in each of the zones.
A line switching exchanger covers various kinds of areas allowing movement. There are such areas as offices which anticipate a constantly steady flow of traffic. Also, there are such areas as warehouses, libraries, and equipment rooms having extremely low traffic, because these places usually see few people. Although it is necessary to provide a connecting device for establishing a radio zone in such low traffic areas in order to render them a part of areas allowing movement, the number of such connecting devices must be kept to a minimum from the cost consideration.
FIG. 1 (Prior Art) is a conventional system diagram. In FIG. 1, 11 is a device for controlling the system, such as a private branch exchanger (PBX). The PBX 11 connects with an extension line 12, an office trunk 13, and a plurality of management connecting devices (M-BS) 14 and a plurality of communications connecting devices (C-BS) 15. Each of plural zones (Z1 through Zn) split from the area to be managed by the radio exchanger has at least one each of the management connecting devices 14 and communications connecting devices 15. Various user conditions of the mobile radio telephone apparatus determine how an area of zones is designed and a number of units to be assigned to the area.
The management connecting devices 14 regularly radio the mobile terminal (PSk,q) 16 moving in from a foreign zone to its home zone and detect, as position information, a zone in which the mobile terminal 16 exists, and send the position information (a home zone number) to the PBX 11. Each of the communications connecting devices 15 establishes a wireless communications channel with any mobile terminal 16 in its home zone.
A reference to FIG. 2 (Prior Art) reveals that the PBX 11 comprises an exchange processor 21 for indigenous line switching, a channel controller 22 for wired communications with the management connecting devices 14 and the communications connecting devices 15, and a maintenance console 23 as an external device for inputting various data, and a console controller (CC) 33 for controlling the maintenance console 23.
The PBX 11 also comprises a BS assignment controller 24 for assigning (initializing) the corresponding one of the management connecting devices 14 and communications connecting device 15, a BS packaging table (memory) 25 and a BS initializer 26. The PBX 11 further comprises a mobile terminal position tracker 27 for tracking the position of the mobile terminal 16, a mobile terminal position display (memory) 28 and a telephone number--PS number correspondence table (memory) 29. The PBX 11 finally comprises a mobile terminal processor 30 for having the mobile terminal (PS) 16 receive a call, a C-BS free-used table (memory) 31 and a C-BS selector 32.
Each of the management connecting devices 14 comprises a wire interfacer 41 for wired communications with the PBX 11, a radio interfacer 42 for exchanging various information by wireless communications with the mobile terminal 16, a zone number display (memory) 43 with a home zone number set and a management processor 44 for tracking the location of the mobile terminals.
As with management connecting devices 14, the communications connecting devices 15 each have a wire interfacer 41, a radio interfacer 42, a zone number display (memory) 43 and a communications processor 45.
In FIG. 1, management connecting devices (M-BS1, 1 through M-BSk+1, 1) are assigned respectively to zones Z(1) through Z(k+1). Communications connecting device C-BS1, 2 is assigned to zone Z(1). Communications connecting devices C-BS2, 2 through C-BS2, 6 are assigned to zone Z(2). Communications connecting devices C-BSk, 2 through C-BSk, m+1 are assigned to zone Z(k). Communications connecting devices C-BSk+1, 2 through C-BSk+1, m+1 are assigned to zone Z(k+1). Each zone has at least one [1] communications connecting device corresponding to its traffic requirement. A process switcher selects either a management connecting device M-BS or a communications connecting device C-BS. A PBX 11 performs assignments to the switched systems. The following is a description of the assignment system for a management connecting system (M-BS) 14 and a communications connecting device (C-BS) 15.
A maintenance console 23 enables one [1] management connecting device (M-BS) 14 and a plurality of communications connecting devices (C-BS) 15 to be assigned to each zone, based on the system configuration shown in FIG. 1, which is designed by user traffic conditions and so forth.
The maintenance console 23 is a terminal for performing assignments. Data inputted via the maintenance console 23 are supplied through a console controller (CC) 33 to the PBS 11 and become commands for various settings.
In an assignment of management connecting device (M-BS) 14, a BS assignment controller 24 creates a BS packaging table 25 first, and a notification is made to a management connecting device (M-BS) 14 via a BS initializer 26 and a channel controller 22. The management connecting device (M-BS) 14 sets its home zone number in a zone number display (memory) 43 via a wire interfacer 41.
In an assignment of communications connecting device (C-BS) 15, a BS assignment controller 24 creates the BS packaging table 25 and a C-BS free/used table 31 first, and a notification is made to a communications connecting device (C-BS) 15 via the BS initializer 26 and the channel controller 22. The communications connecting device (C-BS) 15 sets its home zone number in the zone number display 43 via the wire interfacer 41.
A management system for position information of a mobile terminal is explained below.
A management connecting device (M-BS) 14 cyclically emits to a mobile terminal (PS) 16 in its home zone of the zones Z(1) through Z(k+1) its home zone number of the zone number display 43 by way of a radio interfacer 42. Upon its reception, the mobile terminal (PS) 16 notifies the management connecting device (M-BS) 14 of the movement information with its home PS number attached, if the hitherto recognized number of the zones Z(1) through Z(k+1) is different from the received number. On receiving the notification, the management connecting device (M-BS) 14 notifies the PBX 11 by way of the radio interfacer 42, the management processor 44 and the wire interfacer 41. The PBX 11 redirects the notification to a mobile terminal position tracker 27 by way of the channel controller 22. The mobile terminal position tracker 27 sets a mobile terminal position display 28, thereby completing the recognition of position information. Here, although the movement information from the mobile terminal (PS) 16 also reaches the communications connecting device (C-BS) 15, because the communications connecting device (C-BS) 15 does not select a management processor 44, the movement information is discarded.
As is evident from the above description, a conventional system for controlling mobile terminal connecting devices requires, for each of the zones Z(1) through Z(k+1), connecting devices exclusively for communications in a number commensurate with the traffic level, in addition to one [1] connecting device exclusively for managing the position information of a mobile terminal irrespective of the traffic level. Therefore, even a zone having a sufficiently low traffic level in which only one [1] may be connected at a particularly point in time requires at least a total of two [2] connecting devices, comprised of one exclusively for communications and the other exclusively for management, which renders the system uneconomical in terms of the facilities cost.
On the other hand, when a mobile terminal moves from one zone to another, a management connecting device detects it, and notifies a system controlling device, thereby updating the information on the position of the mobile terminal.
Therefore, in a zone (special zone) where a large number of holders of mobile terminals move around during a certain peak period, such as a dining room, a hall, and a convention room, the management connecting device is temporarily overloaded, and it takes much time for a system controlling device to complete recognizing the information on positions of all mobile terminals, during which period, the positions (zones) of mobile terminals recognized by the system controlling device are quite different than their actual positions (zones).
Hence, when there is a request for a call reception while the positions of the mobile terminals are managed, there are problematical cases in which the system controlling device recognizes position information of an old zone (a zone before moving), in which case no call reception consummation information is returned for the call reception information to the mobile terminal, which prevents a call from being connected.